US Airways (East) ALPA Merger Committee Update - January 28, 2007
On Friday, January 26 the US Airways and America West Merger Committees finished the rebuttal phase of the seniority integration arbitration hearing in Washington D.C. Your merger committee is very satisfied that we have effectively presented the key arguments and evidence to the Arbitration Panel. There were approximately ten volumes of testimony and evidence that we entered as part of our case-in-chief, rebuttal case and surrebuttal. Arbitrator Nicolau and the two pilot neutrals have asked for some additional assistance in honing the information before them into a more workable format. They have scheduled what he described as a working session for Wednesday, February 21 in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Nicolau said the Arbitration Board has trouble with both sides’ proposals. He has asked both committees to submit their final positions at the February 21 session. The Board refused to hear evidence offered by the AWA side on the pending US Airways-Delta merger, on the possibility of airline pilots flying past age 60 and on how those contingencies might affect the US-AWA seniority integration.
The Arbitration Panel has given both merger committees work assignments in preparation for the February 21 meeting.
We are to provide the Panel with actual fleet numbers for both sides for July 2006 and Jan 2007 and the Company’s projected fleet for July 2007.
Each side is to provide a seniority list for July 1, 2007, with all retired and deceased pilots removed. The Panel has asked that the list contain each pilot’s employee number, name, date of hire and birth date only.
Written briefs will be submitted to the Panel 30 days after the February 21 meeting, which works out to March 23. The Board indicated that we could expect a combined seniority list no later than June. Your Merger Committee will be working closely with our computer analysts, merger counsel and MEC in preparation for the final phases of the case. Thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
On Friday, January 26 the US Airways and America West Merger Committees finished the rebuttal phase of the seniority integration arbitration hearing in Washington D.C. Your merger committee is very satisfied that we have effectively presented the key arguments and evidence to the Arbitration Panel. There were approximately ten volumes of testimony and evidence that we entered as part of our case-in-chief, rebuttal case and surrebuttal. Arbitrator Nicolau and the two pilot neutrals have asked for some additional assistance in honing the information before them into a more workable format. They have scheduled what he described as a working session for Wednesday, February 21 in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Nicolau said the Arbitration Board has trouble with both sides’ proposals. He has asked both committees to submit their final positions at the February 21 session. The Board refused to hear evidence offered by the AWA side on the pending US Airways-Delta merger, on the possibility of airline pilots flying past age 60 and on how those contingencies might affect the US-AWA seniority integration.
The Arbitration Panel has given both merger committees work assignments in preparation for the February 21 meeting.
We are to provide the Panel with actual fleet numbers for both sides for July 2006 and Jan 2007 and the Company’s projected fleet for July 2007.
Each side is to provide a seniority list for July 1, 2007, with all retired and deceased pilots removed. The Panel has asked that the list contain each pilot’s employee number, name, date of hire and birth date only.
Written briefs will be submitted to the Panel 30 days after the February 21 meeting, which works out to March 23. The Board indicated that we could expect a combined seniority list no later than June. Your Merger Committee will be working closely with our computer analysts, merger counsel and MEC in preparation for the final phases of the case. Thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
